Meanwhile.
Under the night sky over the Sabaody Archipelago, a figure resembling a large bird descended from the sky, landing silently in front of a human auction house in Grove 1. It was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Hmm?"
As soon as he landed in front of the auction house, Doflamingo, with his hands in his pockets and a hunched posture, frowned instantly. He quickly scanned the surroundings and sniffed the air.
"Fufufufu, such a pungent smell of blood. Did a war just break out here?"
Before the words could fully settle, Doflamingo suddenly turned around, his expression as if facing a formidable enemy, and fixed his gaze on the auction house entrance.
"Doflamingo!"
Standing proudly at the entrance of the auction house, Vice Admiral Bastille of the Marine Headquarters emerged slowly from the darkness, holding a large cleaver. He spoke in a measured tone.
"By the order of Fleet Admiral Orion, before the public execution of Whitebeard Jr. tomorrow, the Marine Headquarters and the waters around Sabaody Archipelago must be purged. Not a single pirate is allowed to appear in the light!"
"So, if you're here to attend the Shichibukai meeting, come with me immediately!"
"If not, your status as a Shichibukai will be revoked on the spot, and I will arrest you right here right now!"
Hearing this, Doflamingo suddenly looked up and let out his unique, sinister laugh.
"Under the leadership of the new Fleet Admiral at Marine Headquarters, even you have become so domineering and aggressive, huh?"
"However, Bastille!"
"You'd better watch your tone when speaking, or I might just lose control and kill you, fufufufu~"
A sharp glint of killing intent flashed in Bastille eyes as he raised his shark-slicing sword high.
"So, you're not here to attend the Warlord meeting?"
...
Port of Grove 7.
As two pirate ships slowly docked, the Marine soldiers stationed at the port immediately swarmed in, aiming their guns at the newly arrived vessels.
On the deck of the ship flying the red sun pirate flag stood a massive whale shark fishman, about three meters tall. His wind-swept eyebrows, sideburns, and the two large teeth protruding from his lower jaw were particularly striking.
Jinbei!
The second captain of the Sun Pirates, a whale shark fishman, and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Known for his sense of justice and his penchant for helping others, he had earned the reputation of the "Knight of the Sea."
Surprised that the Marines had appeared the moment the ship docked, Jinbei, standing on the deck, couldn't help but exclaim.
"I never expected the Marines to change so drastically in just a few days! Impressive!"
"Jinbei of the Seven Warlords!"
From the Marine ranks at the port, a young man in a rear admiral coat stepped forward. It was Rear Admiral Noah, who had previously drawn his sword against Mihawk at headquarters.
After facing the Sun Pirates across the dock, he suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed intently on Jinbei and spoke.
"Rear Admiral Noah of Marine Headquarters, here on orders from Fleet Admiral Orion to await your arrival. Due to the lockdown of Sabaody Archipelago and the surrounding waters of Marineford, you now have two choices. One, cooperate with my orders and come with me. Two, refuse to cooperate, have your Warlord status revoked on the spot, and be killed by me!"
After a brief pause, Noah turned his head to look at the other pirate ship, his eyes scanning the figure on its deck.
"Hanafuda of the Seven Warlords, have I made myself clear?"
"Hohoho, such domineering confidence!"
"A Rear admiral dares to speak to me in such a tone now?"
"It seems the newly appointed Fleet Admiral at Marine Headquarters has given you quite the backbone!"
As the words fell, the figure on the deck of the pirate ship stepped forward, revealing a head adorned with a bat-shaped hood. In his hand, he tightly gripped a massive scythe, resembling a grim reaper who roamed the night, exuding an eerie and chilling aura.
Hanafuda!
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. After numerous encounters with Emperor Kaido, he had formed a deep friendship with him. To gather more Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits and strengthen Kaido Beast Pirates, he had been traveling alone across the Grand Line for years.
His formidable strength had earned him a summons from the World Government.
Standing at the edge of the deck, Hanafuda looked up at Sabaody Archipelago shrouded in night. With his keen sense of smell, he detected the lingering scent of blood in the air. Narrowing his eyes, he said.
"What a perfect night for killing. If we don't cooperate, it seems this time there will be no return."
At this point, Hanafuda suddenly turned his head to look at Jinbei on the deck of the Sun Pirates' ship opposite him. "Don't you agree, Jinbei the Knight of the Sea!?"
Jinbei nodded, then leaped off the deck and landed in front of Vice Admiral Noah, politely saying.
"Rear Admiral Noah, please!"
Hanafuda also jumped down at the same time, carrying his massive scythe as he followed.
"Thank you both for your cooperation!"
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Rear Admiral Noah eyes. During previous Shichibukai meetings, these warlords had always been full of arrogance, with one or two even daring to bully the staff responsible for maintaining order in front of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
He had originally thought that if anyone dared to cause trouble during this Shichibukai meeting, he would decisively take action and earn some military merit. But to his surprise, both Jinbei and Hanafuda were so cooperative.
He had heard of Jinbei reputation—his temper was known to be very mild, and he was a man of great integrity.
But Hanafuda? This was the same madman who had once dared to clash with Kaido and eventually became close friends with him through mutual respect.
It would have been more fitting for him to show off a bit, given his past ferocity. Why had he suddenly become so agreeable? Could it be that he was intimidated by the Fleet Admiral prestige?
Missing an opportunity to prove himself was truly frustrating!
BOOM—
Suddenly, an ear-splitting explosion rang out without warning.
Immediately after, a terrifying sword slash erupted, sweeping out from the direction of Grove 1. Every towering tree in its path was effortlessly cut in half.
"This is—"
Though it was far away, Rear Admiral Noah instantly recognized the source of the sword slash, his expression turning fervent.
"That's Vice Admiral Bastille slash! Someone not cooperating? Who could it be? Crocodile? Doflamingo? Or perhaps Moria?"
As he spoke, Noah, who had just been slightly disappointed by Jinbei and Hanafuda cooperation, found himself involuntarily running forward.
However, he quickly came to his senses and stopped, muttering with a look of frustration.
"Forget it. With Vice Admiral Bastille here, even if there's merit to be earned, it won't be my turn!"
Seeing Rear Admiral Noah reaction, Jinbei and Hanafuda, standing side by side, were utterly confused.
What was going on?
It almost seemed like the Rear Admiral was hoping they wouldn't cooperate!
Could it be that their lack of cooperation would allow Rear Admiral Noah and the soldiers present to gain some kind of merit?
"Whoosh—"
Just as the two were scratching their heads in confusion, a figure suddenly flashed across the night sky.
Moments later, Doflamingo, dressed in his flamboyant attire, landed lightly in front of them on his pointed shoes. He hunched over, one hand on his hip, and let out his signature sinister laugh.
"Fufufu~ Bastille, you really plan to take me down, huh?"
"Huh?"
Before his words even faded, Doflamingo sharply turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Jinbei and Hanafuda.
"Are you all being so cooperative?"
Looking at the two Shichibukai standing side by side, their eyes fixed and composed, Doflamingo grinned wickedly.
"Hanafuda, this isn't like you! How about teaming up with me for some real fun, fufufu~"
"Doflamingo, if you want to die, don't drag me into it!" Hanafuda glanced up at the figure rapidly closing in on them and said in a low voice.
"Tomorrow is the execution day for Whitebeard Jr. If you cause trouble now, you'll die in the most gruesome way. Can't you smell the blood in the air? Before we arrived, the Marines must have just conducted a massive purge of the entire Sabaody Archipelago!"
Before Doflamingo could respond, Jinbei immediately chimed in.
"Snap out of it, Doflamingo! The Marines won't let the Warlords run amok like they used to!"
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